Exile From a Dark Eden
by Red Witch
Summary: What went through Goose's mind right after the incident at Wolf Den?


**The disclaimer telling you that I don't own any Galaxy Rangers characters has been frozen solid. Here's a little one-shot that came into my head as I watched 'Supertroopers' for the thousandth time. What exactly happened on that day after that incident where Goose was forced to turn on his own kind? This is my interpretation.**

**Exile From A Dark Eden**

The phrase _be careful what you wish for_ rang in fifteen year old Shane Gooseman's head.

For some time now Shane had secretly wondered what life was like outside the walls of Wolf Den base. Oh he had read about it in books and seen it in videos but he had yet to experience it. He never told anyone that he was starting to want more in his life than to fight.

Of course he could never tell anyone about his secret ideas. He was a Supertrooper, a genetically engineered soldier born bred to fight for Earth against the enemy aliens of outer space. That was his purpose. What else was there for him?

He shouldn't have wanted more, but he did.

Part of him secretly wished that he wasn't a Supertrooper. That his life would be more than fighting.

In a few short hours his wish was granted in the most horrible way possible. The Supertrooper program had been violently shut down. All because a certain Senator was too impatient for results.

And because of that life as he knew it was over forever.

Before at least he was part of a large unit. A group of Supertroopers all banded together getting ready to fight.

Now…Most of them had gone insane. The X-Factor gas had made them incredibly irrational and violent as well as powerful. Some had managed to flee vowing to wreak havoc and get revenge on the world that created them.

The rest were now being frozen, put away forever in cold storage.

And he was the one responsible for that.

He had chosen to follow his duty to protect Earth by betraying his own kind.

He had done it but at a price.

He was no longer a Supertrooper like the others. He was alone. The only one not tainted by the gas.

He was tainted by something far worse.

He stood to the side in the hallway, numbly watching the authorities Walsh had called in for back up rush in to take the unconscious Supertroopers and put them in stasis.

Permanent stasis.

The Cryocrypt.

If a Supertrooper had **one **fear that was it. A living death from which the chances of waking up again were slim to none. They had all been conditioned to fear it since they were small. When a Supertrooper candidate turned seven they were taken to a cryocript simulator. They were shoved into the cold chamber and forced to lie there, wide awake for over an hour, shivering in the cold. Depending on how stubborn the candidate was the conditioning could last once a day for a week or even as long as a year for the treatment.

Goose had only a week but that was more than enough for him. He learned fast to obey orders and to keep quiet.

Not even Kilbane would tease him whenever he was dragged out from his conditioning. Kilbane had been forced to experience that for a year before he fell in line. He remembered the looks that he got from the other Supertroopers when he got out, shivering and shaken. It was probably the only time he saw a look of pity and compassion in any of them.

They knew. They knew the horror.

They also knew why they had been put through it. It was a tactic meant to control them. To make them obedient soldiers, willing to fight. To be put into the Cryocrypt permanently was a sign that you were weak. That you were only good for one thing.

To be a donor or a lab rat for whatever experiments the higher ups had in mind.

And no one who went to the Cryocrypt ever came back.

Only two had been placed in the Cryocrypt before. One was already brain dead due to a freak accident. One of the older troopers, an adult actually. A holdover from one of the last world wars before peace broke out and the world united. He wasn't bred like they were, he was born an orphan and volunteered when he was ten to undergo training.

He was about thirty when the accident happened. He was the only mentor he and the other Supertrooper kids had that had his DNA modified. They related to him.

Shane was ten himself when the accident happened and he was sent to the Cryocrypt.

The other one happened a year later, again an older trooper. But she was seventeen. Her name was Lorelei. She had blue and green hair, bright blue eyes and a sweet smile.

She had also killed her entire squad and five other young Supertroopers with her bare hands before she was contained and sent to the Freezer.

All because an impatient scientist skipped protocols and tried an experimental drug on her and her team. (It was not with Walsh's or Dr. Nagata's approval.)

He remembered the incident well. Kilbane was the only survivor from that group she attacked. That was how he got the scar on the side of his face. He saw them take her away in handcuffs and she was singing and smiling, laughing all the way to the Cryocrypt.

Of course the scientist was arrested too. He had destroyed sixteen promising candidates made over a million dollars worth each of valuable genetic material and engineered DNA. Since they were also among the oldest batch, that meant that the Supertrooper program would have to wait at least another five years before the next batch would be trained and ready to fight.

That scientist didn't live long in prison. He had heard that the Board of World Leaders didn't tolerate failure like that.

He just hoped that Wheiner ended up with the same fate. But he knew better. Scientists were a dime a dozen. People like him and Commander Walsh were expendable.

Politicians had too many secrets to throw to the wolves. Right now they were thinking of ways to keep this situation quiet. Scrambling to save their own skins.

It was Shane's life that was over now.

Life at Wolf Den was hard at times but Shane knew it had to be. They had to be pushed hard in order to become tough. They had to be strong in order to survive the trials to come in future battles.

Shane had no idea how he was going to survive **this.**

He couldn't watch anymore. He simply wandered around the base, lost in shock. He finally ended up back at the firing range. This is where it started. This was the one place where Shane felt most at home. The one place where he could calm down.

The place where he was safe while the others were exposed to the gas.

He simply crumpled to the floor, sitting down with his head on his hands, trying to make sense of it all. Why? Why **him?** Why was he **here** when should have been in the barracks with the others?

He was there because he needed to think. He was thinking thoughts that Supertroopers weren't supposed to think. Forbidden thoughts about having a life outside of fighting. Wanting more. Being curious.

And the frightening part was that somehow he knew deep down that he was right.

That knowledge set him apart from the other Supertroopers. Even if he did tell them what he thought they would not understand. They would laugh at him or call him weak and foolish. Not worthy of being a Supertrooper.

Darkstar wouldn't say those things. Darkstar would at least try to understand.

But Darkstar was forever beyond his reach. Mostly again because he had strange feelings he couldn't explain or control.

Somehow Shane had gotten some kind of self awareness. Some kind of inkling that there was more to life that being a Supertrooper. It wasn't that he wasn't willing to fight. Far from it, he was a soldier first and foremost. Ready to give his life for the cause.

He was just no longer sure exactly what that cause was.

"I thought I might find you here," Commander Walsh, looking more tired than he had ever seen him hobbled into the room. His injuries had been surprisingly mild considering part of the ceiling had fallen on him but still left him sore enough to need a cane to help him walk.

"This is where it all began," Shane said softly, not bothering to look up.

"Shane, what happened…What you did.. it wasn't your fault," Walsh said gently. "You did what you had to do. The gas…it made them unstable. If you hadn't we'd have to hunt down an entire **army** of Supertroopers instead of just seven. And that's bad enough. Kilbane, Gravestone, Chimera, Brainchild, Jackhammer, Stingray and…"

"Darkstar…" Shane finished the sentence with a lump in his throat. "She's not like them, Commander. I know it. She only ran because she was afraid."

"Be that as it may," Walsh told him. "She's a renegade now."

"What am I?" Shane looked at him. "I'm not a Supertrooper anymore. I don't know what I am. If I wasn't here…"

"You would have been affected by the gas as well," Walsh grunted as he carefully sat down on the floor with him.

"But I **shouldn't** have been here!" Shane snapped. "If only I wasn't thinking about things! If only I just didn't **think **and just…" He broke off, near tears.

"You were starting to tell me something before we got…interrupted," Walsh said softly. "These things you were thinking about, were they questions about your life? It's okay to tell me Shane. I won't get mad."

"I'm a Supertrooper…or I **was** one…" Shane hung his head down and closed his eyes. "I'm not supposed to wonder what else is out there or want more than fighting. I want to fight for something but I don't know what that is. There is more to life than just fighting isn't there?"

"Yes Shane, there is," Walsh sighed.

"But not for Supertroopers," Shane said bitterly.

"It is for humans," Walsh told him. "And that Shane is what is different about you. You cared about your unit, worrying about them getting hurt when all the others only cared about themselves. You cared about what they would do to other people when they went insane. You care about a lot of things Shane, and you do feel things that the other Supertroopers never did. That's what was always different about you. You have become quite…human."

"Is that what's **wrong** with me?" Shane asked cautiously. "Is that why I wonder and think about things?"

"Shane I want you to listen to me," Walsh put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "And listen carefully. There is **nothing** wrong with you. Do you understand? Nothing!"

"Then why does it feel like everything is falling apart inside of me?" Shane asked.

"Because you have had a lousy day and were put in a position you shouldn't have ever been put in," Walsh sighed. "Lord I feel like crying myself. All we've worked for. All those lives ruined by that careless bastard Wheiner…What a waste."

"Doctor Nagata…Is he…?" Shane asked.

"As we speak they're transporting his body to a hospital to remove his brain and put it into a stasis chamber," Walsh said. "He requested this a long time ago in case of an accident. It was his own choice. He'll be fine…considering. Of course it's going to be an adjustment but…"

"And the others?" Shane asked.

"Shane you know the answer to that."

"There's nothing that can be done? A way to counteract the gas?" Shane asked. "An antidote?"

"No, but by freezing them maybe one day we can work on…" Walsh stopped realizing how hollow his words sounded.

"They're never going to work on a cure," Shane said bitterly. "Why waste money on a failed experiment?"

"Wheiner wanted them killed outright," Walsh said. "At least this way…There's a chance, however slim that maybe one day we might save them. You can't give up on hope Shane."

"I don't know what hope is," Shane told him. "Except maybe the hope I have that Wheiner pays for what he's done!"

"He will, Shane," Walsh said darkly. "That I promise you."

"But not today?" Shane asked. "Why? Why not just…"

"There were other issues that had to be taken care of," Walsh sighed.

"It's because of me isn't it?" Shane realized. "Commander you have to take him down! Even if it means freezing me! I don't care anymore! It would be worth it if you…"

"NO!" Walsh said harshly glaring at his eyes. "Don't you **ever** say anything like that to me ever again! Understand, trooper? Your life is **not** meaningless! I've already lost too many good soldiers today and I will be damned if I lose **another** one! Especially one…Especially one that is the best of the lot and has so much promise. Listen to me Shane, your life is worth something! **All life** is worth something! Maybe if I had focused more on lessons like that we wouldn't be in a situation like this. Do you understand?"

"I…I think so Sir…" Shane blinked.

"I know you're confused now," Walsh sighed. "It's all right. You have a right to be confused. One day when you're older you'll understand but for now…For now help me up. This damn floor is too hard for me."

Shane did so. "Thank you," Walsh sighed. "Gooseman I want you to go to my chambers and take your shower there. I'm not a hundred percent sure that the barracks have been completely decontaminated and I don't want to take any risks. I'll get you some clothes. Be prepared to leave within an hour. Understand?"

"Leave?" Shane blinked.

"Can you do that for me Goose?" Walsh asked.

"Y-yes sir," Shane nodded.

"Good," Walsh walked with him a short distance. "I need to take care of some things. Make some more arrangements. Go on now, you know the way. And I want you to wash yourself completely, got it?"

"Yes sir," Shane nodded, still confused.

"Good, I've already programmed the security to accept your handprint," Walsh nodded. "Just meet me there. One hour."

"All right," Shane nodded again as he walked away.

He had only been in the commander's quarters once or twice before, usually to deliver some message or package. But he knew the way. He went into the room and found it already occupied by two guards.

"Oh it's you," One of them said. "You're Gooseman right?" Shane nodded. "The Commander said that you would be coming by. Just dropping off some paperwork and this." He handed him a bundle of clothes and some boots. "Change into these after you've finished. Throw whatever you're wearing in the trash. Got it?"

Shane nodded. And made his way to the bathroom. He overheard one of the guards say. "Should we stay with him and make sure he doesn't uh…"

"Where's he gonna go?" The other guard snorted. "Besides this one wasn't affected by the gas so he still knows his place. Supertroopers may be tough on their enemies but they're meek as lambs when they're told to do something. We got more important work to do than babysitting some freak."

They left the room. Shane felt himself burning with range and indignation. At that moment gas or no part of him wished he had left with Darkstar. At least he wouldn't have had to put up with garbage like that.

_No, that was still running away_, Shane told himself with a sigh as he entered the bathroom. _You can't run from problems like that._

As he removed his training uniform for the last time he took a look around him, studying the bathroom. There was a small metal sink, a clock, a toilet and a shower with a screen to give one privacy. He found that there was a knob he could turn for the water to be any temperature he wanted for as long as he wanted. It was quite Spartan by most standards.

From Shane's point of view that bathroom was pure luxury. The men's bathroom there was no privacy in showers or toilets and there was one large communal sink. Half the time the water was too cold because the timer only allowed hot water for a brief amount of time.

As he washed his body the day's events slowly began to sink in. Shane realized that he was leaving Wolf Den forever. The base where he was born, trained and lived in all fifteen years of his life was no longer his home.

And he was afraid.

Finally he allowed his tears to fall from his eyes, mingling with the warm water of the shower. He couldn't stop sobbing. He had lost so much this day, his friends, his home, his purpose…Darkstar.

He lost track of time as he stood there, sobbing quietly. Finally he turned the water off and willed himself to stop. He heard a knock at the door. "Shane?"

"Uh, yeah I'm just getting dressed," Shane said nervously as he dried himself off. He looked at the clock and to his horror realized that he had been in the shower over an hour, well past the allotted time. "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

He quickly got dressed in the clothes that were brought to him. They were civilian clothes, boxers, socks, black boots, jeans, a belt, a red shirt and a black jacket. He opened the door and saw Walsh standing there with a concerned look on his face.

"I'm sorry, sir I didn't realize I was in the shower so long," Shane sniffed. He realized his skin was slightly red and puffy from standing under the hot water all that time and there were lingering remains of tears in his eyes.

"It's all right you really needed a good…" Walsh almost said a good cry but did not want to hurt the boy's already fragile ego. "A good shower. We still have plenty of time."

"Where are we going?" Shane asked nervously.

"Base Alpha 34," Walsh informed him. "It's on the other side of the continent. It will take about four hours for us to get there by flying so you might want to get some sleep."

"I don't know if I can but I'll try," Shane sighed. He noticed Walsh had a book in his hand. "What's that?"

"Oh this?" Walsh held up the book. "I was packing and I just picked it up and read it. It's the Bible. You remember we told you stories from it so you would understand Earth culture?"

"Some of them," Shane nodded.

"I was just thinking about the story of Adam and Eve," Walsh admitted. "You remember that story?"

"Adam and Eve got kicked out of paradise when they broke the rules and ate some fruit they shouldn't," Shane shrugged. "What of it?"

"That's one interpretation…" Walsh sighed. "There is another one. The real reason that Adam and Eve had to leave the garden was that they gained knowledge and self awareness. They were no longer innocent mindless creatures. They didn't belong there anymore. I'm sorry if that sounds presumptuous but I just couldn't help but think of the parallels to your situation."

"But at least when Adam got kicked out he had Eve with him to keep him company," Shane told him. "I'm alone…"

"Not really," Walsh put his hand on his shoulder. "You have me. And Dr. Nygata. We're not going to let anything happen to you."

Shane wasn't really convinced. "What will happen once we get to Alpha 34?" He decided to try and change the subject.

"Meetings, strategy sessions…" Walsh sighed. "The army's already on the alert trying to track down the escaped Supertroopers before they somehow get off the planet. Or worse cause some damage and make the public aware of what the hell their government has been doing with their tax dollars. I have a feeling it's going to leak out now and not too many people will be happy to learn that we've been funding a project to create genetically advanced mutant soldiers."

"But what do I do when we get there?" Shane asked.

"That…" Walsh sighed. "Honestly Shane. I don't know. But I did manage to convince the Board to have full custody of you. So please try not to make too much trouble once we get there. All right?"

"Yes sir," Shane nodded.

"Is there anything you need to pick up or take from the barracks?" Walsh asked, even though he knew the answer.

"No," Shane looked at him, his emotions under control now. "There's nothing left for me here."

"Very well," Walsh placed the Bible in a suitcase and carried the suitcase with him. "I guess it's time to go."

"I guess…" Shane nodded. He followed his commander out of the room, out of the base an into a ship that took them away from Wolf Den.

Shane let himself look out the window, taking one last look at what used to be his home. He let out a breath and turned away. He was leaving his old world behind forever into an unknown future.

And he had no idea what he would find.


End file.
